


if we build a strong enough foundation

by afirethatcannotdie



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - After College/University, Communication, Domestic Bliss, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Sappy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-13
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-09-17 06:11:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9308798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afirethatcannotdie/pseuds/afirethatcannotdie
Summary: Harry sighs, and then leans over to rest his chin on Louis’ shoulder. “Alright, fine. Wanna go on an adventure?”Louis can't sleep. Harry knows just what to do.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a prompt challenge that a group of us are participating in for the prompt "Foundation". To read the other amazing fics that were written by the others on this prompt, you can [click here](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/foundation) and to see all fics written as part of the challenge, you can [click here](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/2017_hl_prompt_challenge).
> 
> I wrote this in 24 hours and it is pure fluff. Hope you enjoy!

Louis is still awake.

It’s been _hours_ since he went to bed, and he still hasn’t managed to fall asleep. He’s tried all the tricks: counting sheep, making tea, reading a dreadfully boring business textbook of Harry’s by the light of his phone. Not a single thing has worked.

Time for an extreme solution.

“Harry,” he whispers, trailing a finger from the side of Harry’s jaw down his bare arm. “Hazza, wake up.”

Harry mumbles something that sounds like a mishmash of sounds and turns his face to face the other way as he clutches his pillow tighter.

“I’m bored,” Louis continues. “Can you entertain me?”

“Go back to sleep,” Harry mutters.

“I can’t,” Louis says, flopping around on the bed. “I’ve tried everything.”

“Why’d you have to wake _me_?” Harry asks blearily, turning back to face Louis. He’s squinting at Louis, face pinched as he adjusts to the darkness.

“I’m so boooored. And I can’t turn off my brain either.”

“Lou,” Harry says softly. “Just think about the most boring thing you can come up with until you fall asleep. A blank wall. A white piece of paper. Whatever it takes.”

Louis rolls his eyes. “I tried that. Can we go watch a film?”

“It’s-” Harry lifts his head to look at the clock on his bedside table, “-two in the morning. I’m not leaving this bed. Sorry.”

Louis rolls away and flops back down again, pouting even though Harry can’t see it. He doesn’t know what he was expecting. Of course it’s not on Harry to entertain him - he’s a 27 year old man, for God’s sake. He lays there for a few minutes, listening to the sound of Harry’s steady breathing on the other side of the bed, giving it an honest effort as he tries to fall back to sleep.

Nothing.

Harry sighs, and then leans over to rest his chin on Louis’ shoulder. “Alright, fine. Wanna go on an adventure?”

Louis’ eyes widen. “You mean an _adventure_ -adventure?”

“Yeah,” Harry confirms, his smile wide. Louis twists around to kiss him, pressing him against the mattress as he rolls on top of him. “But only if we leave in the next five minutes, otherwise I’ll fall back asleep again.”

“That’s fine, that’s fine,” Louis says, jumping out of bed and pulling on a pair of joggers and a hoodie. “Just need to pee and then I’ll be ready to go.”

“Okay,” Harry says with a smile. “I’ll make the hot cocoa.”

As he goes to the loo, Louis tries to remember the last time they’d gone on a proper _adventure_ -adventure. It had to have been over two years ago, back when they could stay up all night and didn’t have any _real_ responsibilities beyond going to work every day. After that Harry got too busy with his Master’s degree and they’d barely had time for each other, let alone spontaneous middle-of-the-night car trips to unknown destinations.

But it’s better now, the two of them living in a flat in Manchester and planning a life together. _Living_ a life together, Louis corrects, thinking fondly of warm tea and cold feet and mornings spent under the covers making each other laugh.

Harry's standing in the hall when Louis comes out, two travel mugs in his hands and a duffle bag slung over his shoulder. Louis knows from experience that the bag holds a blanket and all their favorite snacks.

“You good?” Harry asks, and for a second Louis’ heart just - stops. Harry’s eager smile makes him look _so_ like the young kid Louis met all those years ago in the bar across from the university.

“Very good,” Louis says after a minute, taking a step closer to Harry. “Where are you taking me?”

“I think we both know telling you would ruin the surprise,” Harry says with a wry smile. He cocks his head. “Let’s go.”

They take the lift down to the underground carpark in their building, Louis slipping into the passenger side as Harry takes the wheel.

“You’re _really_ not gonna tell me?” Louis asks, tone a bit more pleading as they pull out onto the road. It’s a warm June night, the perfect night for an adventure. Harry just shakes his head and keeps his eyes on the road.

“We haven’t done this in a while, but the rules haven’t changed.”

The first _adventure_ -adventure had been, like so many things with the two of them, an unexpected middle-of-the-night decision. With textbooks and notes and highlighters scattered around them as they studied for a final exam, Harry had fallen back against the couch, protesting that he absolutely could not study anymore. He needed a break. Louis, in a flash of brilliance, had grabbed his car keys and told Harry to get into the car.

He told Harry to pick a turn, left or right. Then Louis had picked a turn, and then Harry, and so on. They’d driven for a half hour, until the lights of the city were far beyond them. They stopped at a McDonald’s and ate ice cream cones while sitting on the hood of Louis’ beaten-up car at three in the morning.

After that, whenever the moment called for it, whether work stress or boredom or a desire to surprise the other, they’d go on an adventure. And if Harry initiated it, that means he’s got a destination in mind, and Louis won’t be able to get him to give up the secret.

“You wanna put on some music?” Harry asks once they’re on the motorway, and Louis flicks through the stations until he can find something they’ll both like. Over the years, he’s gained an appreciation of sorts of Harry’s music taste, which he once called “weird indie hipster music.” Not that it’s not anymore, he’s quick to defend, but it’s more that after years of being subjected to it, he’s grown used to it.

Louis leans his head against the window, watching the lights of infrequent cars passing them in the other lane, and eventually he closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep, finally.

*

He’s awoken a while later by Harry’s soft touch against his arm.

“Lou,” Harry whispers. “We’re here.”

Louis wipes his eyes blearily and runs the back of his hand across his mouth to swipe off an errant bit of drool. “Wha-what?” he asks as he sits up and tries to make sense of where they are in the dark. The car’s engine isn’t running anymore.

“We’re here,” Harry repeats. “It’s nice out, if you wanna sit outside.”

“Where are- _Harry_ ,” Louis says, as his eyes adjust and understanding dawns.

Harry smiles and turns fully in his seat to face Louis. “They emailed and said they were pouring the foundation today. Thought it’d be a fun adventure.”

“The foundation of our _house_ ,” Louis says, scrambling to unbuckle his belt so he can get out of the car, taking his hot cocoa with him. “Can we go see it? Thank you, Harry, this is amazing.”

They meet on the grass outside and Harry takes his hand as they walk toward the structure. It’s just a hole in the ground filled with concrete, but to Louis it represents so much more. It’s a beginning of sorts for them, the first step in all the steps to come.

“Is it what you pictured?” Harry asks, as they stand in front of it, peering down.

“Well, it’s a little less extravagant, than I was hoping,” Louis says, and Harry pinches his arm. “I love it. I’m really happy.”

Nearly a year ago, they’d started to talk about buying a house together. They’d been sure of each other for years, and they weren’t getting any younger. They wanted the whole thing: a house, marriage, babies. After months of searching without finding anything they loved, Harry had suggested they build their own house. He’d found a plot of land for sale, about forty five minutes outside of Manchester, nestled on a hillside.

Harry lays out the blanket and lays down, tugging Louis’ hand until he situates himself in between his outstretched legs. Harry wraps his warm arms around Louis’ waist and hooks his chin on his shoulder so they’re snuggled close together.

“I can’t wait until it’s done,” Harry murmurs. “I can’t wait until we get to pick paint colors and kitchen furniture.”

“We haven’t talked much about that stuff,” Louis says. “We should do that.”

“I want the nursery to be next to our room,” Harry says immediately. _Going right for the big guns, alright._ “I want to be able to hear them if they’re crying so we can get to them quickly.”

“You know that’s why they invented baby monitors,” Louis says, tone mocking. “Besides, how are we gonna have loud sex when they’re asleep?”

Harry hums as he considers this. “Okay, fine. Two rooms away.”

“Thank you,” Louis says, patting their linked hands. “Can we get them one of those glider thingies that we can sit in and rock them?”

“Yes please. Can we get a sectional sofa for the living room? I’ve always wanted a sectional sofa.”

“You know,” Louis says, twisting to give Harry a kiss, “that’s one of the first things you ever told me.”

“Yeah?” Harry asks, surprised.

“At the pub that night. You said you fell asleep on your friend’s couch the night before and it was a sectional sofa and it was, and I quote, _all your dreams coming true_.”

“Well, that’s because I didn’t know that _you_ were my dream come true,” Harry says, and Louis pretends to gag.

“Gross. Hey, didn’t you promise me there would be snacks?”

“Oh yeah.” Harry reaches forward to grab the rucksack from the edge of the blanket. “Chocolate and crisps, here you go.”

“What would I do without you?”  Louis muses, taking the crisps eagerly from Harry and ripping open the bag.

“Starve, probably,” Harry says.

“Yeah, let’s talk about the kitchen. Are you gonna cook for me every night?”

“Don’t I already?”

Louis smiles. “You do, and I appreciate every single bit of it,” he says sweetly, throwing a few chips in his mouth and passing one to Harry.

“I can’t wait to live with you,” Harry says, rocking the two of them gently from side to side. It’s not quite cold out, but they’re exposed on the hillside. They’ll have to plant some trees. “In our own house, I mean. Our dream house.”

“It is gonna be pretty amazing, isn’t it?”

“It’s already amazing,” Harry corrects. “But I look at this foundation, and I just feel so…”

“Sappy Styles, here he comes,” Louis teases, and Harry swats him on the arm.

“So excited. I love living with you now, and I know nothing is really going to change,” Harry says, “but I can’t wait until we’re living in _our_ house that we designed. We’re gonna be the only ones to live here. Our kids are gonna take their first steps on those floorboards.”

“We’re gonna live here forever, until we’re old and gray.”

“Until you’re asking me to get your pills and your walker,” Louis teases.

“Did you ever think we’d end up here?” Harry asks, kissing his shoulder.

“I hoped so,” Louis admits. “But I didn’t know for sure.”

“I did. From the moment I saw you, I just knew that you were going to be really, really important to me. And now look at us.”

He’s right. Louis sometimes can’t believe that this is his life, that he gets to be this happy, but once he met Harry, he never doubted that he was the one for him. They just _fit_ , like two puzzle pieces, cliche as it is.

“It’s so peaceful out here,” Harry continues. “I can’t wait to wake up to this view every morning.”

“You’re not gonna miss the city?” They’ve lived in Manchester for years now; the thought of living anywhere else is almost unthinkable. _Almost_.

“I will, but I’m gonna be there every day for work,” Harry reminds him. “And then I’ll come home to you, and you’ll have just finished a phone interview about your bestselling novel, and we’ll dance in the kitchen as I make dinner and it’ll be _perfect_.”

“You’re getting a bit rom-com there, Harold.”

“My whole life is a rom-com.”

“You wish.”

“No, I think I have it pretty good. I’ve got a job that I love, I’ve got someone I love who loves me back and makes me laugh every day, and we’re building a life together. Sounds rom-com enough to me.”

There’s nothing for Louis to do but scramble to his knees so he can kiss Harry properly, suddenly swept up in the face of all the raw emotion he feels for him.

“I love you,” he tells Harry fiercely, cupping Harry’s cheeks in his hands. “I love you and I can't believe we’re doing this and I never want to be without you.”

“You never will be. I can't believe I got so lucky to find someone like you, to be _loved_ by someone like you. That day at the pub was the beginning of it all, the foundation,” Harry says quietly, “but this is gonna be the foundation of the rest of it. You and me.”

Louis wants to berate him for how absolutely cheesy he sounds, but he can't. Not when he's so deeply happy that this gets to be his life.

“You’re a sap,” is what he settles on in response, tears clogging his throat.

“Yeah,” Harry says with a bright smile, “but I'm _your_ sap.”

Louis grins and kisses him in answer.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Find me on tumblr [here](http://afirethatcannotdie.tumblr.com). The fic post is [here](http://afirethatcannotdie.tumblr.com/post/155810323451/if-we-build-a-strong-enough-foundation-harry).


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